The actress, 60, famed for playing Cobbles icon Deirdre Barlow, had been on a
break since late September for “personal reasons”.

She was due to return to the Street following her break, but we revealed
earlier this month she was granted indefinite leave after being given the
heart-breaking news.

A source told The Sun that Anne’s illness started off as breast cancer but
then spread to her brain.

Last night William Roache, who played Anne’s on screen husband Ken Barlow,
said: “I feel Anne’s loss so personally having worked closely with her for
over 40 years.

“She was such a loving and vibrant person. You always knew she was there
because her laugh was never far away.

“She was an impeccable performer with superb comedy timing and an immense
gift for really heightened drama. We had some rows over the years as Ken and
Deirdre and it was wonderful to play those scenes opposite her.

“Coronation Street has lost one of its iconic characters and Anne will be
greatly missed.”

Just days earlier, a handful of show producers and co-stars, including
Beverley Callard and Kate Ford, were told of her illness.

Anne and her husband David Beckett – who she met on the Street in 1992 – were
desperate to keep her situation private and The Sun agreed not to publicise
her agonising fight. But last night she lost her battle and tragically
passed away soon after being checked into hospital.

A show source told The Sun: “This is absolutely tragic and everyone at Corrie
is completely shellshocked and stunned. She was an iconic character and a
close friend to many on the set. They are devastated. Everyone knew she was
terribly badly ill and might not recover, but no one realised it was quite
this serious.

“It will leave a huge whole at Coronation Street. She will always be
remembered as a soap legend. This truly is a tragic moment.”

Another source told how the cast of Coronation Street were called in for a
meeting yesterday tea time and warned that the the outlook was bleak.

A source said: “There was just a stunned silence in the room. You could hear a
pin drop. Everyone loved Annie and no one could believe what they were
hearing.”

The show’s Executive Producer Kieran Roberts said: “It is with great sadness
that David Beckett has confirmed that his beloved wife and Coronation Street
actress Anne Kirkbride has passed away peacefully in a Manchester hospital
after a short illness.

“David and the programme’s cast and crew are heartbroken and deeply saddened
at the loss of Anne who has been a Coronation Street icon for 44 years.

“There are no words to describe the sense of grief we feel at Anne’s passing.”

Anne was a household regular since first appearing as fresh-faced Deirdre Hunt
on the ITV soap aged just 17.

Forty years on, she had married four times, had 13 lovers, was wrongly
imprisoned for fraud, saw her only daughter jailed for murder and was
embroiled in a national campaign backed by millions – including the Prime
Minister.

Her large framed glasses, chain smoking, scratchy voice and catchphrase “Oh
Tracy!” all became a staple of the soap diet.

Anne’s debut Street appearance on November 20 1972 was only supposed to be a
one-off but she convinced scriptwriters her character was destined for
greater things.

Six months later she was given a permanent contract and Deirdre became the
show’s latest “dolly bird” secretary before eventually accepting a job at a
builder’s yard.

On screen, their marriage was rocked by Deirdre’s flirtatious old flame Mike
Baldwin with the pair eventually embarking on TV’s most-talked about affair
at the time.

During the 1980s their love triangle brought in almost 21million viewers –
last month the show reported their lowest-ever ratings at 4.9million.

Her rocky love life continued into the 1990s when she eventually split with
Ken and suffered a flood of failed romances – including brief handyman
boyfriend David Beckett who Anne later married in real life.

And it was a separate real life incident that threatened to end Deirdre’s
captivating character prematurely when Anne was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma.

Anne later revealed she found a lump on her neck at her mother Enid’s funeral
– who had died of cancer in 1993 – before being diagnosed.

She was granted emergency leave from the ITV show but returned 12 months later
after being given the all-clear.

During TV documentary “Deirdre and Me” in 2001, Anne revealed she attended
annual check-ups to make sure the disease had not returned.

But in a heart-breaking twist, Anne described the moment she found out she was
cancer-free as being the best in the world.

She said: “It’s the best gift you can have because if you’ve got your health,
you’ve got the world.”

Her depression spiralled out of control and eventually became too much during
her most high-profile ever storyline.

Deirdre was wrongly jailed for 18 months in 1998 after being accused as the
brains behind boyfriend Jon Lindsay’s money-making scams.

The plot sparked a furious ratings war between Corrie and arch rivals
EastEnders as protesters across the country launched a “Free the
Weatherfield One” campaign.

Newspapers, led by The Sun, called for producers to free her and even Prime
Minister Tony Blair joined in – announcing he would instruct as Home
Secretary Jack Straw investigate the case.

But while most soapstars dream of being at the centre of a storyline gripping
the nation, Anne quietly battled depression demons and sought professional
help.

She checked into a four-month course of counselling sessions at The Priory in
1998.

Speaking three years later, she said: “It was worse than the cancer in a way
because that was going to be over. I knew it was bad but I knew at the end I
was going to get better. But this was just so frightening.”

“We eat together every night and when he goes to bed I’ll take over and watch
all the science fiction and ghost and zombie things I like. We both enjoy
watching Star Trek together.

“It’s thanks to Corrie that I met my wonderful David. I wouldn’t be without
him. He adores me and I adore him. What else do you need?”

Roache returned to the Street last summer after being found not guilty of all
allegations.

In August, Corries bosses gave Anne a year extension on her £250,000 contract
but within weeks she was forced to request time off as a result of her
diagnosis.

She was believed to have initially requested two months off before being
forced to pull out of the show completely in January.

The show’s Executive Producer Kieran Roberts said: “It is with great sadness
that David Beckett has confirmed tonight that his beloved wife and
Coronation Street actress Anne Kirkbride has passed away peacefully in a
Manchester hospital after a short illness.

“David and the programme’s cast and crew are heartbroken and deeply saddened
at the loss of Anne who has been a Coronation Street icon for 44 years.

“There are no words to describe the sense of grief we feel at Anne’s passing.

“We know only too acutely how much Anne meant to the millions of people who
watched her create the legendary character of Deirdre Barlow. She will be
greatly missed by the Coronation Street team who share happy memories of
working with her. We feel blessed and honoured to have known her. Our
thoughts are with David and their family.”

ITV Director of Television Peter Fincham echoed Kieran’s thoughts.

“Anne has been a truly loyal servant to Coronation Street since joining the
programme in the early 1970s. She created a unique and unforgettable
character in Deirdre Barlow and she’ll be greatly missed on and off screen.
Our sincerest condolences to Anne’s husband David and her family at this
very sad time.”

Coronation Street’s creator Tony Warren captured the feelings of all who knew
Anne:

“Anne was very easy to love. Her talent over the years made a massive
contribution to Coronation Street.”

Anne is survived by her husband, David, her brother John, and his family.

David has appealed to the media to respect his privacy and that of Anne’s
family at this very sad and distressing time.

Timeline

1972: First appears in Corrie then again in March the following year

1973: Becomes Street regular

1983: 21million tune in to love triangle between Deirdre, Barlow and
Baldwin

1992: Meets real life hubby David on Cobbles as on-screen handyman
boyfriend

1993: Loses mother Enid to cancer and is herself diagnosed with
Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma